A continent of a country spanning five thousand years of history and every landscape: the Great Wall rippling along the ridgelines, the sandstone pinnacles of Zhangjiajie, the rice terraces of the South, the deserts of the Silk Road and megacities reinventing the future. From the Forbidden City to the pandas of Chengdu, from the warriors of Xi'an to the sugarloaf karsts of Guilin, China travels like several countries in one, linked by a high-speed rail network without equal.
Itineraries
The itineraries in China are in the works: the day-by-day program, named hotels, tickets to book flagged in advance. Leave your address to be notified when they come out.
Got it. You will be notified at the next release.
The sign-up could not be completed. Try again in a moment.
Your address is only used for these release announcements. Privacy policy
Leaving before they come out? Request a custom day-by-day itinerary in China
Itineraries available in Asia
We don't sell an itinerary in China yet. Here are the ones already on sale, for other countries.
Classic
Four days in Tokyo, one night in Hakone, five in Kyoto with a day trip to Nara, and a last one in Osaka, by train, subway and on foot.
See the itinerary
Classic
The northern island in two weeks: Sapporo, Otaru, the Furano hills, the Shiretoko Peninsula, the eastern lakes and Hakodate.
See the itinerary
Classic
Japan's hidden side in two weeks: Kinosaki Onsen, the Tottori dunes, Izumo, the Shimanami Kaido and the Iya valley.
See the itinerary
Module
Five days in Gyeonggi province: the cosmopolitan port of Incheon and the futuristic city of Songdo, the border island of Ganghwa and its dolmens, the UNESCO-listed fortresses of Namhansanseong and Hwaseong, the folk village and Everland.
See the itinerary
The right season
April-May and September-October are the two great windows: mild temperatures and clear skies over almost the whole country. Summer is hot, humid and rainy in the South and East, with the Chinese holiday crowds in July-August. Winter, harsh in the North, suits lovers of Beijing under snow and the ice festivals of Harbin. Avoid the October Golden Week, the entire country is travelling.
Quick guide
High-speed rail links Beijing to Xi'an in 4 hr 30 and covers the whole country; book through Trip.com. In town, the metro is modern and cheap. Passport required for every train ticket.
The yuan (¥), but the country has gone mobile-payment: activate WeChat Pay or Alipay with your foreign card on arrival, cash is becoming the exception.
Mandarin, written in characters. English is rare outside international hotels: have your destinations written in characters and use your phone's photo translation.
WeChat and Alipay are essential (payment, taxis, bookings). Add Didi for ride-hailing, Trip.com for trains and hotels, and a VPN installed before departure if you want your usual apps.
From impeccable local chains to characterful hotels in the old mansions of Pingyao or the hutongs of Beijing. Check that the hotel accepts foreigners when booking.
Toast holding your glass lower than your elder's, receive business cards with both hands and keep your calm in all circumstances: losing face loses the argument.
Must-sees
Mutianyu
6,000 km of fortifications along the ridgelines. The Mutianyu section, restored and less busy than Badaling, is walked between watchtowers and forests.
Beijing
980 buildings, 24 emperors, the largest palace in the world. Book online several days ahead, entry is capped.
Xi'an
8,000 clay soldiers standing in line for 2,200 years to guard the first emperor's tomb. One of the archaeological shocks of the century.
Guilin
The karst sugarloaves between Guilin and Yangshuo: drift down by boat or follow them by bike between rice paddies and buffalo.
Hunan
Three thousand sandstone pillars in the mist, the inspiration for Avatar's floating mountains. A 326 m glass lift up the cliff face.
Chengdu
The research centre where you watch giant pandas at close quarters. Come at opening time, they are active at breakfast.
Pick a point on the map, or browse the list below.
Also on the map
This site uses Google Analytics to measure its audience and improve its content. No advertising use. You can refuse and nothing changes for you. Learn more about cookies